Berrin Tansel, Ph.D., P.E., BC.WRE, F.EWRI, Dist.M.ASCE, a professor in the civil and environmental engineering department at Florida International University, has been honored with inclusion by ASCE in its 2026 class of distinguished members. She was chosen for her transformative leadership and pioneering research in water conservation, coastal water quality, and concentrate management, as well as for outstanding contributions that have advanced environmental engineering and water resource management through innovative, results-driven, and impactful solutions.
ASCE will honor Tansel and the 2026 distinguished members at the 2026 OPAL Gala, Thursday, Oct. 15 in Reston, Virginia.
Tansel’s technical gifts to the profession are as profound as they are helpful. Her areas of expertise include water quality management, advanced treatment processes, contaminant fate and transport modeling, infrastructure resilience, water reuse, desalination, and design of sustainable urban water systems.
She is a nationally and internationally recognized leader in environmental and water resources engineering whose contributions have significantly advanced civil engineering research, education, and professional practice. Her sustained record of service, scholarship, mentorship, and leadership embodies the very highest ideals of the civil engineering profession.
Tansel has also involved herself extensively and in exemplary fashion with ABET, having served for many years as a program evaluator for the Engineering Accreditation Commission and on the executive committee of the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission.
Tansel has been a powerful advocate for educational outreach and equity in engineering. She has initiated numerous programs to broaden participation in STEM, including internship partnerships with local agencies, summer STEM enrichment programs for middle and high school students, and targeted support for underrepresented groups entering engineering fields. Her work with local agencies, particularly the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department, has directly influenced water use efficiency practices, benchmarking tools, and conservation strategies with measurable impacts on water resource sustainability.
Aside from her scientific rigor and technical excellence, Tansel is known throughout the profession for her intellectual generosity, inclusive leadership, and deep commitment to mentorship and collaboration. Her career exemplifies the mission and values of ASCE and has left a well-regarded mark on environmental engineering.
Tansel has authored more than 200 research papers, contributed to manuals of practice, and published six books. At the Kennedy Space Center, she researched development of a closed-loop water recovery and recycling technology for space travel, which is also used for conservation and recycling programs on Earth.
She is Board Certified by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists and an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Water Environment Federation. Tansel is the recipient of the WEF’s 2024 Fair Distinguished Engineer Educator Medal, the 2024 Ralph Fuhrman Medal for Outstanding Water Quality Academic-Practice Collaboration, and the 2021 ASCE Margaret S. Peterson Outstanding Woman of the Year Award, among other accolades.
Nominations for the 2027 class are due Dec. 15. Email [email protected] for more information.
